Podcast · Business

YouTube Creators Hub

by Dusty Porter · English · Business

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 33 min
Latest: 2 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

2 Oct 2026 · 36 min

Building Practical Engineering with Grady Hillhouse

Grady Hillhouse started making woodworking videos as a hobby while working as a civil engineer. That experiment eventually became Practical Engineering. This week on YouTube Creators Hub, Grady joins Dusty Porter to share the decisions and systems behind his educational channel. He explains how his team pitches ideas, looks for compelling visuals, and mocks up titles and thumbnails before a video moves into production. We explore the full workflow, from scripting and fact-checking to demonstrations, filming, editing, and motion graphics. Grady also talks about setting deadlines, keeping…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S1 · E519 · 25 Sep 2026 · 32 min

Evergreen Videos and a Business Beyond Ads with Marco Bucci

Marco Bucci started posting art videos as an experiment. Over time, teaching became the foundation of a full-time creator business. This week on YouTube Creators Hub, Marco joins Dusty Porter to talk about creating art lessons that stay useful for years and turning free teaching into trust. He explains how paid courses offer greater depth, where mentorship and sponsorships fit, and why YouTube ad revenue is only one part of his business. We also explore a tension many creators face: how much production is enough? Marco values highly crafted lessons, but says he would simplify his approach…
S1 · E518 · 18 Sep 2026 · 31 min

From Sewing Hobby to Full-Time Creator with Chelsea Swindle

Chelsea Swindle started sharing sewing projects online because she wanted something creative of her own—and a way to contribute to her family's income. That grew into She Sews Seams and a full-time creator business. This week, Chelsea joins Dusty Porter to share how she moved from short-form videos to slower YouTube tutorials, found confidence in a focused niche, and built a community around making sewing approachable and fun. We talk about the preparation behind her tutorials, hiring an editor who keeps her humor intact, and earning through YouTube, Amazon, PDF patterns, sewing journals,…
S1 · E517 · 11 Sep 2026 · 36 min

Better Titles, Thumbnails, and Hooks with Ian Lauer

You can spend days making a video—but will people click it, and will the opening make them stay? Astronomer and creator Ian Lauer joins Dusty Porter to explain how he turns specialized subjects into accessible YouTube stories. Ian shares his approach to finding ideas outside his niche, improving thumbnails, and writing hooks that confirm the viewer's choice while giving them a reason to keep watching. We also explore why better pre-production saves him time, his path to full-time YouTube, and the different ways he earns through ads, affiliate links, digital products, and workshops. The…
S1 · E516 · 4 Sep 2026 · 46 min

How to Build a YouTube Audience That Stays | Matt Whitman

How do you build a YouTube audience that trusts you and keeps coming back? Matt Whitman joins Dusty Porter to share his approach to audience loyalty, Patreon, and a sustainable creator business. Matt creates the Matt Whitman YouTube channel and The Ten Minute Bible Hour Podcast, and co-hosts No Dumb Questions with Destin Sandlin of Smarter Every Day. In episode 516, we discuss his path from a Wyoming church to online content, the first sponsorship payment that changed his outlook, and why he puts audience service at the center of his work. Connect With Matt: YouTube Website The Ten Minute…
S1 · E515 · 28 Aug 2026 · 14 min

YouTube Changed What Counts as a View | Here's What It Actually Means

YouTube now counts a public view from the moment a video begins playing, even from the first frame. Dusty explains what this means for long-form videos, Shorts, livestreams, analytics, monetization, sponsorship reporting, and the way creators should evaluate channel performance after August 24, 2026. What We Offer Creators Join Creator Communities . A place to gather with other creators every single day. This provides access to Our Private Discord Server, Monthly Mastermind Group, and MORE! Hire Dusty To Be Your YouTube Coach YouTube Channel Reviews (Audit) : Get a 7-10 minute personalized…
S1 · E514 · 21 Aug 2026 · 33 min

What Brands Actually Pay for a Sponsored Video in 2026 (w/ Chase Brogan)

This week I'm joined by Chase Brogan, who has built an 840,000 subscriber tech and gaming review channel and now works with 10 to 20 brands a week without ever pitching a single one. Chase breaks down exactly what he charges for a sponsored video, why he hands brands unlimited usage rights for free, and the Amazon affiliate quirk that once paid him a commission on a $5,000 boat trailer. He also tells the story of getting hacked out of his own channel for six weeks, losing every brand deal he had, and the eight months it took to recover financially. If you want brands coming to you instead of…
S1 · E512 · 7 Aug 2026 · 36 min

He Changed This Video's Title 9 Times Before It Took Off | Daniel Braun

Daniel Braun narrowed personal finance down to credit cards, points and miles, and built a 247,000 subscriber channel on the back of it. In this episode he is unusually open about the numbers: $12,000 to $15,000 a month from AdSense, CPMs in the $45 to $50 range, two brand deals a month, and affiliate months that swing from below five figures to well into them. We also get into the fourth video that told him where his real audience was, the nine title and thumbnail changes it took to get one recent video working, and the technical script system he runs with a two person team. He closes with…
S1 · E511 · 31 Jul 2026 · 31 min

How She Got Monetized in 19 Days on a Brand New Channel | Alexa Milmont

Alexa Milmont left a 12-year corporate marketing career, started documenting her reselling business on YouTube as a hobby, and was monetized in 19 days. Two months and 12 videos later she's past 14,000 subscribers with a video sitting near 400,000 views. We get into the real numbers. Her first AdSense check, what affiliate links actually brought in, and why a cell phone lanyard outsold everything she tried to sell on purpose. She also shares the rule she made for herself after deleting the YouTube Studio app off her phone. About Alexa: Alexa Milmont is the creator behind Shop Style Cycle,…
S1 · E510 · 24 Jul 2026 · 38 min

How to Price Yourself So Brands Actually Pay You More | Spencer Pugh

Most creators are told to build an audience first and figure out the money later. Spencer Scott Pugh did the opposite — and it worked. In this episode, the tech reviewer behind Form and Function breaks down how one unpaid smart-ring review turned into $280K in sales for a brand, why he treats his channel as a marketing business instead of a personality play, and how he lands, prices, and negotiates brand deals that actually pay the bills. We get into product-first thumbnails, the pricing "three-package" trick, the brand deal that burned him, beating burnout with a team, and the one question…
S1 · E509 · 17 Jul 2026 · 35 min

Three 100K+ YouTube Channels, One System: Inside Zealand's Creator Machine

He streamed to 10 viewers for two years. Now Zealand runs three 100K+ YouTube channels and a full-time team. He shares his real monthly numbers, his exact production system, why over-polished content is dying, and the one DM rejection that fueled it all. About Zealand: I was a professional sports broadcaster who started streaming my Football Manager game play for fun in college. An FM website offered control of their 200 subscriber YouTube channel, I took over and started making FM guides. I fell in love with YouTube and have since reached 100k on three different channels, branching out into…
S1 · E508 · 10 Jul 2026 · 38 min

What 6 Years of Weekly Uploads Actually Pays a YouTube Creator | Tasia Custode

Tasia Custode lost 90% of her video production business overnight when the pandemic hit. One weekly YouTube video later — every Thursday, for six straight years — and her channel (121K subs) is now a legitimate income arm of her company. In this episode, Tasia opens the books: what YouTube ad revenue actually pays at 121K subscribers, the "invalid traffic bug" that gutted her revenue for 14 months, and how partnerships (including ones that never touch her own channel) became her biggest creator income stream. We also dig into her all-Google production workflow, how she uses Gemini as a daily…
S1 · E507 · 3 Jul 2026 · 28 min

How to Pivot Your YouTube Niche Without Losing Your Audience (w/ Simple Lucas)

Lucas built a YouTube channel about barefoot shoes — then a video of him staring at a wall pulled 1.8 million views in four months and changed everything. In this episode, Lucas (Simple Lucas) breaks down exactly how he escaped the niche that grew his channel but boxed him in, how he engineered the "world's simplest productivity trick" video from thumbnail backwards, and why faking expertise got him called out by his own audience. We dig into his planning-heavy production process, the affiliate video that made him $1,000 off one piece of breaking news, and his three rules for creators that…
S1 · E506 · 26 Jun 2026 · 32 min

YouTube Brand Deal Negotiation: How to Charge What You're Worth (With AyChristene)

What's a brand deal actually worth and how much are you leaving on the table by saying yes too fast? This week, Dusty sits down with Christene of AyChristene, a creator with nearly 700,000 subscribers who's built a full-time career on reaction content across gaming, animation, and TV. Christene breaks down the exact negotiation that turned a $1,000 offer into $5,000, why the biggest money in her business isn't AdSense, and the counterintuitive reason rushing to be "first" can actually hurt a reaction channel. If you've ever undercharged, undervalued your work, or hesitated to hit publish,…
S1 · E505 · 19 Jun 2026 · 19 min

YouTube Creator Q&A: Niche, Monetization, Burnout & Going Full-Time

In this special YouTube Creator Q&A episode, we tackle the questions creators are asking right now—how to choose a niche, grow consistently without burning out, and build a monetization plan that actually fits your channel. We also break down sponsorship pricing, what to focus on in 2026, and how to know when (or if) it's time to go full-time. What We Offer Creators Join Creator Communities . A place to gather with other creators every single day. This provides access to Our Private Discord Server, Monthly Mastermind Group, and MORE! Hire Dusty To Be Your YouTube Coach YouTube Channel…
S1 · E504 · 12 Jun 2026 · 40 min

He Makes $8K/Month on YouTube With Less Than 100 Videos

James Kelly doesn't even have 100 videos on his YouTube channel, but he's pulling in £5,000–£7,000 a month ($6K–$9K) from it. In this episode, the man behind some of the best-looking studios on YouTube (and Ed Lawrence's longtime collaborator at Film Booth) breaks down exactly how a small channel funds a real business: high-ticket studio builds, £300 thumbnails, and one video idea that got him re-monetized AND landed 8 client calls in a week. About James: James Kelly helps business creators and experts build professional-looking YouTube studios that position them as authorities and attract…
S1 · E503 · 5 Jun 2026 · 33 min

Quitting Your Job for YouTube: Pros, Cons & Runway With David Voorhies

What does it actually look like to leave a stable corporate job and go full-time as a creator? In this episode I sit back down with David, a returning guest and acrylic paint pouring artist who just walked away from his job as a product owner at a software engineering firm. Here's the part nobody says out loud: he's currently making three to four times LESS than he did at his last interview on the show. And he'd do it again in a heartbeat. About David: David is an acrylic paint pouring artist and full-time creator. What started as a blog in 2019 became a YouTube channel that now pulls in…
S1 · E502 · 29 May 2026 · 35 min

He Made a Video for His 90-Year-Old Mom. Now He Makes $100K a Year

On the Creators Hub podcast, Dusty Porter interviews YouTuber Rich Bowlin (over 200,000 subscribers with under 250 uploads), a retired attorney and CEO of a religious nonprofit whose channel began after making iPad tutorial videos for his 90-year-old mother; the episode is dedicated to her after her recent passing. Rich explains how early "wisdom" videos flopped but simple iPhone/iPad how-to content for seniors took off, leading to monetization at 1,000 subscribers/4,000 watch hours and a growing side hustle. He describes focusing on a clear niche, using analytics to refine topics, upgrading…
S1 · E501 · 22 May 2026 · 22 min

Is the Algorithm Broken? Real Creator Questions Answered (2026)

One of you asked if you should quit YouTube. Another's got 200 subs and feels invisible. Today I'm answering the real questions creators are asking about growing on YouTube in 2026 What We Offer Creators Join Creator Communities . A place to gather with other creators every single day. This provides access to Our Private Discord Server, Monthly Mastermind Group, and MORE! Hire Dusty To Be Your YouTube Coach YouTube Channel Reviews (Audit) : Get a 7-10 minute personalized video review of your YouTube channel with honest, actionable feedback for just $50. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter:…
S1 · E500 · 15 May 2026 · 38 min

He Quit Corporate at 44 | Hit Full-Time YouTube in 12 Months

Episode 500! Ty Myers left a 20-year corporate career at 44 and hit full-time YouTube income in 12 months — with no prior video experience. He breaks down his $3,500 mentorship, why most creators spend their time completely backwards, and the fastest on-ramp to leaving your 9-to-5. About Ty: Ty Myers left a 20-year corporate career in late 2024 to go full-time on YouTube at 44. In 21 months, he's grown to 33K+ subscribers and built a coaching business around helping mid-life creators start, grow, and monetize on YouTube — without burning out chasing hustle culture. Connect With Ty: YouTube…
S1 · E499 · 8 May 2026 · 38 min

The Truth About Making Money on YouTube in 2026 | Josh Summers

In episode 499 of the Creators Hub podcast, Dusty interviews entrepreneur Josh Summers from the All Things Secured YouTube channel about building a nearly 431K-subscriber channel through steady consistency, incremental improvement, and testing, especially A/B thumbnail testing. Josh shares the origin of his security focus after being monitored and interrogated in China, and explains his current content strategy prioritizing long-form videos for consistent views and revenue, supplemented by monthly live streams and occasional Shorts. He breaks down how his workflow evolved to start with…
S1 · E498 · 1 May 2026 · 18 min

The YouTube Tools 90% of Creators Are Wasting

This week is a rare double-shot solo episode — two of Dusty's Creator's Corner monologues bundled into one main feed drop. Part one breaks down the underrated trio of end screens, cards, and pinned comments — why most creators waste this real estate, and the simple intentional shifts that turn them into watch-time and session-length engines. Part two introduces the four-part sponsor read framework (Signal → Bridge → Proof → Handoff) — the exact 15-to-30-second window where you either keep your audience's trust or lose it, and the one mistake that can tank credibility instantly. If you've…
S1 · E497 · 24 Apr 2026 · 37 min

Ghost Hunters Creator: "I Would've Started YouTube 16 Years Ago"

What happens when the guy who created one of the most successful paranormal TV shows of all time walks away from network television and plants his flag on YouTube? In this episode, Jason Hawes — creator, lead investigator, and original host of Ghost Hunters — sits down with Dusty to break down what 20 years of mainstream TV taught him about storytelling, why he let his YouTube channel sit dormant for 15 years before launching it, how he thinks about monetization (including why he removes 50% of YouTube's ads), and what's next for his channel "Unlocking the Unknown." About Jason: Jason Hawes…
S1 · E496 · 17 Apr 2026 · 38 min

How This 33K Channel Makes $5K a Month (No Sponsors)

What does it really take to build a profitable YouTube channel in a niche everyone says is "too small"? In this episode, Cody Moneymaker pulls back the curtain on how his bluegrass guitar channel, just 33,000 subscribers, generates right around $5,000 a month in course sales, with zero paid ads and barely any sponsorships. We get into the exact pivot that changed everything (hint: it wasn't about playing better), why his thumbnails look like a newspaper on purpose, how he plans his entire year around sales seasonality, and the mindset shift that keeps him from burning out. If you've got a…
S1 · E495 · 10 Apr 2026 · 32 min

How a White House Reporter Grew From 1K to 151K Subscribers on YouTube

Tara Palmeri went from White House correspondent to building a YouTube channel with over 151,000 subscribers, in just one year. In this episode, she shares the hard lessons of going independent, why traditional media tactics failed her on YouTube, how she maintains a daily upload schedule, and the monetization strategies fueling her growth. Whether you're a journalist exploring the creator space or a YouTuber looking for growth tactics, this conversation is packed with actionable advice. About Tara: Tara Palmeri is the host of The Tara Palmeri Show and author of The Red Letter, a…
S1 · E494 · 3 Apr 2026 · 33 min

This Small Creator's Strategy Is Quietly Beating Channels 10x His Size

Arthur Brassart lives in Monaco, wakes up at 5AM to work on his YouTube channel before his day job, and has quietly grown to over 25,000 subscribers making Apple tech content. In this conversation, Arthur shares the specific strategy that turned a random Casio watch unboxing into a real channel — including his 60/40 content framework, why he turns down most sponsorships, and how he handles the frustration when a video flops right after one nearly hits a million views. About Arthur: I launched my channel in 2017 by uploading a random unboxing video just for fun. But in 2020, I started taking…
S1 · E493 · 27 Mar 2026 · 36 min

He Quit His Dream Job to Fix Bikes on YouTube (And Makes More Money Now)

Andy Quant walked away from his dream of owning a bike shop — and it was the best business decision he ever made. In this episode, the creator behind The Bike Farmer (112K subscribers) shares exactly how he built a full-time YouTube income fixing bicycles, why he calls himself the "Bob Ross of bike mechanics," and the one Facebook post that changed everything. About Andy: Corporate dropout bicycle mechanic turned content creator living in southern Wisconsin. Father of 4 mostly grown children. Avid golfer and bowler. Lover of fine things. I absolutely insist on enjoying life, focusing on…
S1 · E492 · 20 Mar 2026 · 33 min

She Made $290K on YouTube with Only 44 Videos | Aprilynne Alter

Aprilynne made $290,000 on YouTube last year — with just 44 videos on her channel. In this episode of the YouTube Creators Hub Podcast, April breaks down exactly how she did it: from figuring out her niche using a 5-part framework (audience, value, format, vibe, and differentiator) to why she intentionally uploads only once a month. We dig into her hook and intro strategy that's driven 1.4M+ views on a single video, how she splits revenue between brand deals and her own coaching program, and the biggest mistakes she sees creators making with their packaging and thumbnails. About Aprilynne:…
S1 · E491 · 13 Mar 2026 · 33 min

The YouTube Strategy That Let Him Quit His Job and Go Hunt Wolves in Alaska

Guest Kurt Belding of Western Obsessions TV shares the raw, honest story of how he sold his businesses at 40, chased remote hunting adventures around the world, and built a six-figure consulting business — using YouTube as his primary marketing engine. This episode is a goldmine for any creator or entrepreneur who wants to see how YouTube becomes the foundation of a real, sustainable business model. About Kurt: Kurt Belding is the owner and creator behind Western Obsessions TV, a YouTube channel documenting remote hunting expeditions in some of the world's most beautiful and dangerous…
S1 · E490 · 6 Mar 2026 · 32 min

He Hit 50K Subscribers in Under a Year | Here's Exactly What He Did

James Hayes launched his YouTube channel "Dad Mode in Dark Mode" in March 2025 and grew it to nearly 50,000 subscribers in under a year. He covers fatherhood, masculinity, and hard truths for men — philosophical, not ranty. He's monetizing through consulting, a $3/minute call service, and ebook sales bringing in $4–5K/month before AdSense (best AdSense month: $3,400). About James: James Hayes is the creator of the YouTube channel Dad Mode In Dark Mode, where he explores fatherhood, masculinity, and modern life through philosophy and real-world experience. After launching the channel in March…

About YouTube Creators Hub

Introducing the YouTube Creators Hub podcast - your ultimate destination for taking your YouTube channel to new heights, whether for business or personal growth! Join our host, Dusty Porter - a certified YouTube expert with a wealth of knowledge - as he delves into the fascinating world of online video creation every week. Dusty sits down with an exceptional YouTube Creator in each episode to explore their unique journey and share invaluable insights, strategies, and tips. If you're looking for practical guidance, inspiring stories, and expert tutorials, look no further than the YouTube Creators Hub podcast. Get ready to elevate your YouTube game!

YouTube Creators Hub is a English business podcast from Dusty Porter. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Dusty Porter
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 33 min
Latest episode: 2 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id843566797
Rights: Porter Media @2026

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